


Brother's in Arms

by GhostPotato



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam (Voltron) Lives, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-08 02:38:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15921150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostPotato/pseuds/GhostPotato
Summary: Adam Wright, pilot for the Galaxy Garrison, fell in combat during the initial Galran attack on earth and was assumed dead. Two years before the Voltron crew returned to earth and defeated Sendak, Adam's younger brother, Evan, sets out to find his brother or his remains.What he finds instead is a ridiculous adventure through space that changes both of their lives.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All these HC's about Adam being alive and shit, but like no one ever said anything about if he had a family?? Like the dude most likely did. And Idk, the idea just came to me. The story is from Evan's POV, more characters will turn up and more shit will go down as things go along.

**Prologue**

 

Our dad died when I was one year old. He died attempting to save a crewmate during an emergency crisis. Leaving behind my mother, my brother, and tiny, infant, me. I don’t remember anything about him, but my brother always spoke highly of him. As it turns out, self sacrifice seems to run in the family.

When I was two, my brother was accepted into the Galaxy Garrison. At the time, I didn’t understand why he would disappear for months on end, so I’d get angry when he came home and avoid him. That year, he introduced us to his new friend, Takashi Shirogane. Or Shiro as he like to be called. Mum loved him immediately.

I was twelve when I was accepted into the Galaxy Garrison myself. I was going to become a fighter pilot like my brother and Shiro. Despite my excitement I often worried how our mother would cope without her sons around.

My brother was twenty two when he became engaged to  his best friend and flight partner of many years. We already considered Shiro a part of our family anyway.

A year later our mother was diagnosed with late stage terminal cancer, she passed away within the year. My brother was forced to postpone his wedding plans. And I decided to transfer to the garrison’s medical division. I wanted to help people.

I was fourteen when I watched my brother break down at the news of the failed Kerberos mission. He always blamed a part of himself for not trying harder. Nothing I could say or do seemed to help. After that he threw himself completely into teaching and flying, like he was trying to escape all his problems.

Three years later, aliens attacked our planet, I was seventeen. Seventeen when my own brother, who I begged not to go, flew into battle with his squad. Only to be overwhelmed and decimated by the enemy’s superior forces. That was the first time I felt truly alone.

When I was seventeen, I ran out into the battlefield, desperate to find the only family I had left. I found him. And then the invaders found us. Within the day we were loaded onto a ship with eighty four other prisoners. One by one the prisoners would be taken away, never to be seen by us again. Their fates unknown. My watch died a long time ago, I don’t know how long we were in space for when they took my brother away. Or how much time had passed when they came for me.

Strapped to a table, surrounded by aliens in masks wielding strange, alien implements. I wondered how I got myself into this situation. And if I would ever make it out. Would I ever see earth again? Or Adam? Is this really my fate? I closed my eyes, a desperate attempt to hide from my problems.

 

***


	2. A Singular Stupid Purpose

Standing outside the Garrison’s main comms room, peeking through the tinted windows, I watched as the panels for the pilots sent to defend earth turned red one by one. The last name ‘Adam.W’ turned red. And my heart stopped. A single thought screamed in my mind, ‘ _No_ ’. Faces turned in my direction and I realised I had not been as quiet as I thought. I sank to the floor, trying to comprehend the fact that my brother was gone. For good.

The door to the communications room opened and someone stepped out and knelt down beside me. But a gentle hand on my shoulder, and kind words of attempted comfort did nothing to quell the surging tide of loneliness that engulfed me. I was alone. For the first time in my life I was completely alone.

 

It had been one day since Admiral Sanda sent my brother to his death. One day since the Galra invasion had begun in earnest. After a night of hell, my mind had cleared somewhat. I strode down the halls with purpose, with a plan. Well, more of a suggestion based on a slim shred of hope.

I stood at the door to Admiral Sanda’s office, inside there were a small number of high ranking officials. Commanders Iverson and Holt to name two.

“As I’ve been saying Admiral, we need to utilise the MFE pilots. They’re the only ones with the fire power capable of damaging the Galra ships,”

“And as I’ve told you previously Commander, we are not going to send untested fighters against this threat,”

“But it’s okay to send experienced pilots against an enemy we’ve never fought before, right?” I blurted out. With the whole room’s attention on me, my spontaneous moment of confidence crumbled, “What I meant is that we should mount a recovery mission to… uh...”

“Cadet,” Admiral Sanda said looking at me with her cold, steely eyes, “this is a confidential discussion for high ranking personnel only. If you have an issue you would like to discuss, then you should follow protocol and speak with your commanding officer,”

“Admiral-”

“-I would suggest you return to your barracks, cadet. Now.”

“But-”

“-We’ve lost enough good pilots to this threat as it is,” she said, slamming her fist on her desk making the whole room jump, “we are not risking more lives just to locate the bodies of some deceased pilots!”

 

Grinding my teeth, I bit back on my frustration and anger. With a curt salute I turned on my heel and walked back towards the medical divisions barracks. On my way I happened to pass by the garrison’s hospital bay. Despite being in the middle of an alien invasion, the medbay was empty bar for a couple of officers and a few cadets. On a spur of the moment decision I entered the medbay, being a medical division cadet myself, it was far from unusual to see me here.

I had another half-formed plan. If Sanda and the garrison weren’t prepared to mount a recovery expedition to find the pilots they’d sent to their doom. Then I would. It would be a simple task to procure some basic first aid equipment without raising suspicion. Rations are easily taken after curfew when the kitchens are empty. The hard part would be getting past the particle barrier, and locating the pilots.

Fortunately, I knew someone who could get me the coordinates of their last known locations. And a friend of mine on the R&D team had already told me the particle barriers weak spots.

 

“Rizavi!” I called, running after the MFE pilot. She was a student of my brother’s that I met during one of my secret forays into Adam's classes to mess with him as only a younger brother could. We had built a friendship as small time pranksters, which occasionally got us into trouble.

“Wright,” she replied, turning to face me. Her smile quickly faded with an exasperated sigh, “why do I have the distinct feeling you’re going to ask me for a favour?” She was forever dubious of my intentions.

“Because I’d like to ask you for a favour?”

“The answer’s no,”

“Aw c’mon I haven’t even asked yet?”

“The last time you asked for a favour, I got suspended from flight class for a whole week!”

“Cause someone had the smart idea to bring along some rube who couldn't handle breaking a few rules,” I told her, a slight sarcastic sneer directed at said rube.

“James," she informed me with an exasperated smile.

"Yeah, that guy,"

"He's not that bad he's just..." she waved a hand around as if hoping to snatch the rest of her sentence from the air.

"...a stick in the mud?" 

"Well, yeah...” she shook her head, "look I'm not risking my position as a MFE pilot, this is really important to me,"

“I know, and if you get in trouble I'll take full responsibility. Say I coerced you with my masculine wiles,"

"Your what?" she asked, failing to suppress a laugh.

" _Nadia?_ ” I pleaded dragging out her name. She frowned at me before sighing and adjusting her glasses.

“Fine, what do you need?”

“I need you to get me the last known coordinates of the squad that flew out yesterday,” I replied quick as a flash, bouncing on the balls of my feet. He stared at me with astonishment,

“You’re not seriously thinking of going out there?! You’ll get yourself killed! And that’s only if you’re lucky. I’ll be killing you myself if you make it back alive,”

“Look, Adam was one of those pilots. I just... I need to know for sure if he’s dead,”

“Their fighters were destroyed, realistically speaking-”

“-Please Nadia? I’ll never ask you for any more favours. Ever,”

“Well I still don’t think it’s a good idea… but you swear? No more favours?”

“For as long as I live,” I replied with a hand over my heart. She sighed again.

“I’ll see what I can do,”

“I owe you! You’re amazing! Simply the best!” I called after her as she walked away, her shoulders bunched up as she visibly cringed.

“I know," she replied pushing her glasses up and smirking, "keep working on those _masculine wiles_ of yours and you might even reach my level one day,” And with that she disappeared around a corner. I cringed slightly, however now was not the time to reconsider my life choices. The pieces of my ‘plan’ were slowly falling into place. Now I just had to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as of the release of Rizavi's notes from VLD crew I've edited some of this chapter to more accurately portray her character :3 Story has not changed tho


	3. Saving Pilot Adam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wasting no time, we find us an Adam. But he's in bad shape.

Sneaking out of the garrison isn’t actually too difficult if you know where to go. I used to sneak out all the time, usually with my brother, and sometimes Shiro, but also occasionally with friends. I expertly made my way through the garrison, avoiding patrols, and towards the nearest connection point in the particle barrier.

“Okay, Quincy mentioned something about a maintenance door,” I muttered to myself as I walked the length of structure, eventually locating the aforementioned door. Hoping that it wasn’t alarmed, I slowly pried it open and slipped inside. With bated breath I waited for the sound of any alarms. But I heard nothing but the whirring of machines and the beating of my own heart. Moving on with a sigh of relief I sought out a way to the outside world. It took me about half an hour, but eventually I was free of the Galaxy Garrison and standing in the desert.

This was about as far as I had planned. From here on out I was winging it. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and checked the coordinates Nadia had given me. “Alright Evan, we got this.” I told myself, “There’s at least six hours before sunrise. It shouldn’t take more than four to reach the coordinates… Maybe another hour or two to locate the crash site… Yeah… I can totally do this,” My confidence was falling. But Adam needed me. So with a resolve made of cardboard I pressed on. Keeping an eye out for any garrison or Galra patrols as I moved.

I collapsed in a heap. Sunrise was three and a half hours ago, I had narrowly avoided detection from a stray Galra fighter, and there was no sign of any garrison crash sites. My confidence was at rock bottom, and my plans for finding my brother were quickly becoming akin to a futile daydream. It had been almost two days since his encounter with the Galra. And I was starting to lose hope that he was still alive. If he had even survived the explosion, his wounds would have been pretty significant and would have required urgent medical care. Curling up on the ground I broke down,. I was tired, scared, in the middle of a desert surrounded by hostile aliens, my brother was more than likely dead. And there was no way the Admiral would send out a search party to find one miserable med tech.

After crying myself hoarse, I sat up. Echoing the mantra my brother had taught me long ago  _ ‘Patience yields focus’. _ If I wasn’t going to be rescued, then I was going to see this out until the end. I wasn’t going to give up now. I just had to keep going. My stomach rumbled loudly. But first, lunch break. Once my parched throat and grumbling stomach had been sated, I returned to searching for any sign of my brother or his fellow squad members.

Another day and a half into my search and I see something on the horizon that makes my heart leap. Forgetting about my exhaustion and the weight of my pack, I ran towards what I desperately hoped was a wreckage and not a mirage. 

My hope was well rewarded and I come across a fallen fighter jet in Galaxy Garrison colours, immediately I started searching for signs of life among the debris. I searched the main body of the fighter, it’s cockpit was wide open as if the pilot had ejected at the last minute. The rest of the fighter was a twisted mess, but the open cockpit gave me that last shred of hope that the pilot had survived.

Pulling out the binoculars my brother had given me for my fifteenth birthday I searched the surrounding area for the remains of a parachute. If the pilot ejected, there had to be some sign of emergency escape gear. There just had to be.Through the binoculars, I located a shape that was slightly discoloured compared to the desert floor. 

“That has to be it,” Shouldering my pack again I made my way towards the shape. Each step was full of hope and dread in equal measure.

The shredded remains of the a parachute billowed softly about on the ground. I noticed a misshapen lump under the parachute. Excitement fueled me as I started lifting the parachute to see what was under it. Only to come face to face with the business end of a garrison issued pistol.

“Evan?” The speaker lowered his firearm, and stared at me in disbelief.

“Adam!” I cried, throwing myself onto my older brother, “everyone thinks you’re dead, I thought you… you...” Tears streamed down my face as I hugged him. Relief washed over every fibre of my being.

“Not so tightly,” he grunted, trying to push me off. Pulling away I stared at my brother, dried blood caked his face, and I was suddenly reminded that he had recently survived an explosion.

“Oh shit. You need a doctor,” I paused as a sudden realisation hit me, “I’m the doctor. Shit,”

“Eloquent as always,” he said with a small laugh, laying down on his back, “patch me up best you can eh Doc?” 

Nodding, I set to work immediately, stablising his right leg, which was broken, with a crude splint, and dressing the burns on his face and body. There was most likely further fractures, and his complaints about a ringing in one ear strongly suggested hearing damage. He had also suffered some ocular damage. He winced throughout the whole procedure, but it wasn’t like I could bring any decent analgesics with me, all the decent drugs are locked down tighter than the Admirals vintage wine collection.

“Just for the record; I told you so,” I told him as I finished bandaging his arm.

“Hey, no, look, I was only doing what was right,” he replied as I helped him stand.

“Mhm, what does that say about your broken and fractured bones, oh and the burns, they’ll scar you know? Also you may end up losing hearing in your left-”

“-Okay, okay, no need to rub it in,” he muttered cutting me off.

“Admit that I’m right, you’re wrong, and that you should have listened to me,”

“Fine,”

“Say it,”

“You were right, I was wrong. I should have listened to you. Happy?”

“Yep, now let’s get you back to the garrison for proper medical care. It took me around twelve hours to get here, I would estimate that it would take us closer to fifteen when taking into consideration your injuries. Longer still if we have to stop for Galra patrols or to take short breaks,”

“There’s a town not to far from here, we could head there instead? I would have gone myself but, you know, leg,” he said pointing at one of his numerous injuries.


	4. Sometimes Adam is not (w)Right

It was slow going, and we took many short breaks, but we made our way towards the town my brother had suggested. His injuries were pretty bad, but neither of us wanted to address that fact. Instead we joked about the good old days. Before the Galra. Before Kerberos. When we had our little family and things didn’t seem so hopeless.

The stars were beginning to dot the darkening night sky as we entered the outskirts of the town. It wasn’t that late but the town seemed unnaturally quiet.

“Maybe they evacuated?” Adam suggested, as he rested against the wall of a house, he sounded hopeful, but his face looked far from it.

“Well, there’s something going on over there,” I said, pointing at some lights in the distance, “think we should check it out?”

“Alright but -argh!” he was painfully reminded of his injuries as he tried to stand up. Clutching his side and breathing heavily, he sunk back to the ground, “I think I’ll sit and rest a while. You go and see what’s going on.” With a nod I went to make my way towards the commotion only to be stopped by Adam grabbing my pant leg, “be careful,” he warned.

“Well duh,” I replied, receiving a stern frown in return.

I quietly snuck through the streets of the deserted tow. Upon reaching the source of the light I quickly ducked behind a low wall. Stealing a glance I saw a large group of people surrounded by insanely tall, armed guards. They were ferrying people onto what I could only imagine was an alien spaceship.

“Galra,” I hissed under my breath, “gotta get Adam away from here.” Quickly as I could without being seen I ran back to my brother who was right where I left him. “Adam,” I called, he looked up at me questioning the worry written plainly on my face,

“What’s going on?”

“Galra, they’re here. They’re taking people away. We’re leaving, we have to get back to the garrison, now!” I forced him to his feet, ignoring his grunts of pain and directed him back towards the desert. We had only made it a few feet before the metallic clanking of footsteps approached us. Two of the guards that had been herding prisoners stood before us. My heart sank, there was no way we could both escape. Adam was thinking the same thing,

“When I give the word, run and don’t look back,” he whispered to me. I stared at him, horrified. I had come all this way to save him, not to abandon him to the mercy of alien foot soldiers.

“No,”

“Don’t argue with me Evan. Run! Now!” he shoved me aside and aimed his pistol at the nearest guard. I scrambled to my feet, looking back in time to see one of the soldiers rush my brother and hit in the head with the but of their gun before he could fire. My brother crumpled rom the blow. My instincts fought between running to his side and helping him and fleeing. My moment of hesitation costed me greatly. A sharp flash of red pain sent me to my knees. Dazed, I watched through blurry eyes as my brother was dragged away by one of the guards. Only to be dragged back towards the ship myself, seconds later.


	5. The Good Old Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Multi-part longer chapters interspersed with flashbacks whAT? IDEK myself bruh
> 
> Also damn, didn't think I'd get so many hits so soon. I'm honestly super honored
> 
> <3 GP  
> ***********************

I wondered how long it had been since we had been forced onto that ship and been launched into space. My watch only lasted a few days before it died. After that I can only assume it’s been a fairly long time. The guards would pass by the cells they held us in routinely, either to give us food or to take another prisoner away, or to simply make sure we weren’t escaping. Not that that was possible. They had taken Adam away early on, I could only hope it was to see to his injuries and not to subject him to the same torment that they had put me through. I counted around two hundred and fifty patrols before they came for me.

Normally just a couple of guards would enter, drag a prisoner away and leave us be. This time was different, a tall, masked alien in robes accompanied the guards. It stared at us prisoners for a while, as if measuring some unknown variable among us. When the dark, soulless eyes of its mask met mine, something flickered behind the mask. A long, clawed finger pointed at me, and the guards approached. It’s icy gaze had me paralysed. The other prisoners backed away from me, we had learned long ago not to fight the guards when they came.

I was taken down dimly lit corridors, into a room full of strange machines. The guards strapped me to a table. The masked alien seemed to almost glide around the table, muttering in their strange language. It caught me staring at it, and made a noise. Almost like a laugh?

“It’s rare enough to find one specimen with such unique quintessence, but two…” it’s eerie voice crept through the air, chilling me to my core, “you’re definitely going to be worthwhile… you should feel honored,” they told me. Their clawed hands carefully traced over their tools, deciding where they should start.

 

***

 

Adam and I sat at the table in the small apartment he shared with Shiro. I lived in the dorms at the garrison, but you don't get good home-cooked meals at the dormitory cafeteria. But I wasn't going to get that today either, Shiro had insisted on cooking dinner tonight. Adam was trying to maintain a calm facade but the twitch in his eye spoke volumes. Shiro cannot cook.

"Maybe you should..." 

"Nope. Takashi insisted," Adam replied, wincing as a loud crash sounded from the kitchen behind him, followed by a loud 'oops' from Shiro, "besides, it's just pasta. What's the worst that could happen?"

Smoke started billowing from the pots on the stovetop causing the fire alarm to sound. I looked from my brother, who stood up to help sort out the mess in the kitchen, to Shiro who stood behind Adam looking completely disheartened. Adam teased him, of course, assuring him that next time it will be a joint effort. It didn't take long before Shiro's frown was replaced with a blushing grin.

"Guess I'll order pizza," I said, as they tidied up the kitchen together.

 

***

 

The burnt atrocity that was Shiro's attempt at pasta would have had at least twice the nutritional value of whatever the paste that the Galra were feeding us had. It would have been five times more preferable too.

 

***

 

"Damn how are you not deaf?" A voice asked after snatching off my headphones, the music still blaring through them.

"Give those back," I replied, clawing at the empty space between me and my assailant.

"Nah," they said with a cocky grin, holding the headphones out of my reach.

"Adam, don't be an ass." He laughed and chucked at my headphones back at me, I caught them and glared at him. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Just wanted to check on my little brother," he said with a grin that quickly turned into a frown, "but, no, did you really blow up a CPR dummy?"

"Accidentally!"

"How do you _'accidentally'_ blow up a dummy?"

"Well it turns out that that particular model can't exactly deal with high pressure oxygen passing through the respiratory tract. I mean, sure, it not designed for that but it's not like they wrote that on box or anything..." I muttered under my breath, my brother's disapproving look faltered. He was trying his damndest to play the role of a good parental figure, but the slight quirking of his mouth as he spoke told another story.

"Well lucky for you, I managed to talk the your supervisor into giving you detention rather than a suspension,"

"Yeah, lucky me," I grumbled turning back to the books I was studying before my brother came in.

"Evan," his tone became serious but still retained his usual soft and caring attitude as he spoke, "I know losing mum was hard on you, it was for both of us. But this, this acting out, these stupid pranks. They've got to stop. Before... before you get expelled or hurt..." There was a slight quaver in his voice as he mentioned our mum. My jaw tightened, I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye. "We're brothers, okay?" he continued, "We've got to look out for each other, but I can't keep covering for you everytime you act out,"

"No one's asking you too," I replied bitterly, putting my headphones back on, drowning out my brother's voice.

 

***

 

Brother's should look out for each other, that's an ideal we always tried to live by I guess. I've matured a little since then, I definitely haven't blown up anymore dummies anyway. But Adam was always like that, always trying to take care of everyone, even when no one asked him too. Especially when he wasn't asked too. He cared a lot, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't push lost causes, but he'd offer constant support and guidance for anyone who needed it. I guess that's why he was always the favourite teacher among the cadets.


	6. Meanwhile, Back on Earth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all I guess? Feel free to leave any comments or criticisms or even suggestions, they're all appreciated.
> 
> <3 GP  
> ***************************************************

Footsteps echoed down the corridors as a young woman made her way swiftly to the command deck of the IGF-Atlas. In her hand was device containing a datalog taken from a fallen Galra cruiser.

It had been just over a week since Sendak's forces had been defeated. The world was busy repairing itself from the havoc wreaked by Sendak and his 'Fire of Purification'. Structures the Galra had built were in the process of being either dismantled or repurposed. Those who had been placed in labour camps were being given the necessary support to get back on their feet. And those who had been lost were remembered through memorials.

But her business was urgent. She could only guess what her finding may mean to the crews of Voltron and Atlas, and even the world.

"Captain Shirogane, sir!" she announced as she entered the command deck, offering a quick salute to her commanding officers.

"Cadet?" he replied, turning to face her somewhat surprised by her sudden appearance, "oh, uh, Rizavi, correct? You're one of the MFE pilots?"

"Yes sir,"

"So what was the find?" he asked, recalling the conversation he had had earlier with the pilots. 

"This," she replied handing him the device, "it contains a datalog with a lot of repeating sequences. We thought it may be useful?"

Shiro quickly scanned the immediately visible portion of the data, his experience with Galra technology sparking a small amount of recollection. The alien symbols were definitely repeating, almost as if they were a transcript. "The Holt's need to see this," he told her, "they're better at deciphering Galra code than I am," he took a few steps past her, but stopped and turned around and added, almost as an afterthought, "thank you for your work, you're team have been a great help with Earth's recovery,"

***

"They're coordinates!" Pidge exclaimed proudly, prompting the group crowding around her to look at each other with a mixture of confusion and excitement.

"If they're coordinates, then where do they coordinate to? And what about the rest of it? Why were they going to these places anyway?" Lance fired off question after question, only to be ignored by Pidge as she trailed off, typing furiously in an attempt to pin down the locations the datalog mentioned.

"Let me see, if we overlay this... and that makes these ones here represent earth, then if we punch in these ones here and..." she muttered to herself, working through the logs.

"Well they appear to be transport logs," Another voice answered Lance's questions, "but they make no mention of what they're actually transporting. The data just refers to it as 'cargo'?" Matt swung around on his chair, a look of concern plastered on his face.

"Were they mining quintessence? Like on all those other planets?" Lance replied with more questions. Matt shrugged, and answered them to the best of his ability.

"Quite possibly, but we can't be sure unless we go check out the delivery locations,"

"Which we can do," Pidge interrupted Lance as he opened his mouth to ask more questions, "here," she said pointing to the screen, "these were the two places they delivered to most, and here are a handful of one off jobs. The transports came from some of the heavier hit places on earth. Seems strange for the Galra to ransack some ruins for quintessence though,"

"Well whatever it is that they were transporting, we should check it out," Shiro said, he turned to the screen and looked at the locations Pidge had pointed too, deliberating on his next move, "We'll scout the two most prominent delivery sites first," he said eventually, "Voltron on this one," he pointed at the location furthest away, "the Atlas will take the other, as for the other locations..."

"The rebels can take those ones," Matt suggested, "I'll talk to Olia about it but, if it's just a scouting mission, I'm sure no one will get too up in arms about it. Besides, I recognise some of those coordinates,"

"Do you really have permission to take the Atlas that far into space?" Lance asked peering at the points on the screen, he was genuinely curious.

"I'll get it," Shiro told him.


	7. A Hypocritical Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title is a shoddy play on the 'Hippocratic Oath' doctors take and hypocrite. I know what I'm doing.
> 
> Uh this chapter was difficult to write, there was a lot of internal discussions and cups of tea. Regardless, we're back to Evan and Adam, the last chapter was a total excuse for a time skip so it's been a few years. I wonder what happened to Adam :S
> 
> <3 GP  
> ************************************************************************

 

**EVAN**

Vanidas.

That's what they claimed their name was.

A so-called druid who once worked for the Galran empire. Their claim was that after the fall of the previous emperors and the disbanding of the druidic order, they offered their services to Sendak, the Galra general who had attacked earth. 

We had vacated the Galra cruiser some time ago, and Vanidas had set up his laboratory on a small, desolate planetoid. He hadn't taken any other human prisoners, so I assumed they had all been left behind. At first I wondered if they were even still alive? What did it matter though, there wasn't exactly any way _they_ could get past the guards and escape the cruiser.

Vanidas was rather talkative, and after the extended time we had unfortunately spent together, they were more than happy to speak with me at length about the purpose of their experiments. They were most impressed by my knowledge of human anatomy and medicine, and had used that knowledge to their profit. And eventually, Vanidas came to trust me enough to allow me to leave my cell, and even assist in their experiments on other the alien species that the Galra cruisers would regularly drop off during their supply runs to the planetoid.

Being able to see the stars again was indescribable. I was more than happy to help Vanidas if it meant I could see the stars. I initially had my misgivings about having a hand in such vile experiments. But you get used to the screams eventually. Besides, I couldn't help but be intrigued by Vanidas' findings. Vanidas had told me, the purpose of their experiments were to study the effects of quintessence on various life forms. Many of the other test subjects had died, or been consumed by madness to the point of requiring their permanent removal from the study.

At times, when I was alone, I would look at the stars and wonder what the moral implications of my actions meant. But what else was I supposed to do? Waste away in a cell, waiting for my next turn on the table? It's not like there was any chance of escape here either. As the old adage goes, if you can't beat them, join them. And while Vanidas trusted me enough to allow me some freedoms, they certainly didn't have my loyalty. They knew this, and would keep a closer than normal eye on me when the Galra cruisers docked.

Once again, it was my turn. And as per usual, Vanidas glided around the room, surveying their implements, deciding what kind torture they wanted to subject me to this time. Small containers of glowing liquid sat on the nearby shelf. Various forms of quintessence. Refined, purified, raw... all of different colours. Even now, it was still strange to see what essentially equates to the essence of life in a physical form. Catching me staring at the containers of quintessence, Vanidas made a clicking noise. One he made often when he noticed my interest peaking.

"Such a pity," their cold, chilling voice pierced through the stagnant air, "our time together is approaching it's end..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, for a second I thought I had heard a small hint of regret in their voice. 

"The general's... recent absence has unfortunately forced a change in plans," they explained.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, wondering just how important I was to their research. What would become of me? Am I expendable like all the others?

"What my people always do... disappear... find somewhere else..." they replied in a distracted tone, while inspecting one of their tools.

"And me?" A short crackling laugh answered me as they picked up one of the containers of quintessence,

"Let's see if you survive this first..." they said, approaching me.

***

 

**ADAM**

How long has it been? Days? Months? Years? It's hard to tell anymore. I looked down at my hand and studied it, I've studied it so many times that I'm more than familiar with it, but I still couldn't wrap my mind about how much had changed.

It was my hand, sure. It was connected to me, and I could move it the way I wanted. But it wasn't _my_  hand. Or arm. The purple, pulsating lights, were almost vein-like and etched on the metallic surface. The metal itself was dark, and the arm itself was covered in segmented plates, ending in cruel claws. It really wasn't my hand. I compared it to my right hand, soft and human. I clenched my fists. No matter what they do to me, I'm still human. No matter how much of that crap they pump into my body, no matter how many limbs they replace with their vile prosthetics. I was still human.

As long as I held onto that belief, I wasn't going to lose myself to their vile games.

With a massive sigh I buried my face in my hands. What I wouldn't give to just rewind time, before this, before the Galra invasion... before Kerberos. Would I ever see Takashi again? Would I ever get to apologise? To tell him that I did wait, that I was going to wait. I was... I was angry. I mean was it so wrong of me to want him to stay? We didn't know how long he had left, his disease was sporadic and unpredictable in it's progression. If he had gone into space and died...

But then Sam Holt returned... he was alive, Takashi was alive. I just had to wait a little longer. 'Voltron will come' he said. Then these Galra attacked... I wanted to give Takashi a world to come back to, I had to fight. I should have realised that it was a lost cause, we were outmanned and outgunned. I suppose I wasn't thinking it through properly at the time, I simply wanted to protect my home, my family, and ensure that there was a future there. Maybe that was a mistake... I was lucky to even survive... I hate to think about what might have happened if I was even a second too late on the ejection...

When I get out of here. Once Evan is safe, I'll find Takashi. Maybe things won't go back to the way they were before. But thats okay, I just need to talk to him. To let him know that...

Loud, metallic footsteps echoed down the hall, prompting me to look up and leave my musing behind.

The door to my cell opened and I was greeted with the cold, unmoving faces of their sentries. Once again, I was being summoned. What for this time? More experiments? More battles? It was hard to say. At one time I would have fought them, attempted an escape. But they claimed that they had my brother, and the more I cooperated, the better it was for him. I had no idea if they were telling the truth or not, and no way to find out. But that was enough to make me complacent. But not enough to buy my loyalty, I simply had to wait. Just until I find out where they are holding Evan.

I stood up and followed the sentries.

_I'll find you, Evan. We'll get home. I promise._


End file.
